Minnesota SBA Honors Women in Business Champion

MINNEAPOLIS – Natasha Fedorova, Program Manager of the Women’s Business Development Center-Minnesota, has been named the Women in Business Champion of the Year for the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minnesota District Office.

The Women in Business Champion is selected annually to honor individuals who have fulfilled a commitment to the advancement of women’s business ownership. Yvonne Cheung Ho, President and CEO of the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, nominated Fedorova for this award.

The business success of women-owned businesses is enhanced when they become officially certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). Locally in the Twin Cities area, there was no official office or technical assistance to help Women Business Enterprises (WBEs) become certified, until the Chicago Women’s Business Development Center entertained the idea of placing a satellite office in the Twin Cities in 2003. Fedorova was intimately involved in the WBDC-Minnesota since its inception and became the Program Manager in 2007. With Fedorova at the helm, the WBDC-Minnesota has blossomed as the ‘go-to’ office for getting results for women-owned business development.

In 2003, the WBDC had 182 WBEs certified in Minnesota and, in the three years since her promotion, Fedorova has added another 114 certified WBEs to the roster. She has made a tremendous effort to reach out to more and more new and growing WBEs. She not only holds workshops to help women understand the advantages of WBE certification, but also helps each applicant find their way through the intense process. As an ambassador of the Chicago office, Fedorova has gained a steadfast group of supporting corporations that help sponsor the office.

She has established a reputation of professionalism, responsiveness and result-oriented collaborative efforts -- all aimed at the success of local WBEs. She also connects local business owners to opportunities outside this area as the businesses grow in capacity.

Fedorova was honored at the 2009 WBENC Tribute to Partners and was named the Strategic Partner of the Year 2010 by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).

Fedorova holds a Masters in Nonprofit Administration and an MBA from Metropolitan State University. In addition to advocating on behalf of women business owners, Fedorova is also a member of the Small and Disadvantaged Business Opportunities Council (SADBOC).